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It seemed like yesterday that my friend Jeff and I decided to skip classes and go to the beach in Southern California. We had picked up some beer and smokes from the local store and was going to party the day away.

Laying on the beach, around lunch time and I dozed off for a minute. I guess the excitement had run me down. I decided a short nap was in store. The girls and Jeff ,were out in the surf enjoying the waves. I snoozed off.

Things are getting foggy now and I’m dreaming of my family. I still have my parents and one sister. My sister and I are close in age and are very best friends. I can now see her in my dream, it is Thanksgiving dinner and the whole family is sitting around the table. My sister is quite a joker and makes me laugh at every moment. I think she moved all the silverware around that my mother had so elegantly placed in order. Now everyone’s fork was on the opposite of where it was. My sister wanted a reaction out of my mother so she could get a good laugh. My sister had that gift like no other. She made people feel good, happy, and to make them smile.

I think I’m coming out of this snooze, waking up now and I can hear the gulls above. Screech-Screech.

It is getting late afternoon, time to leave for home. We have to be back early so we can make it look like we went to school. If I come home the same time, my mother will think I just got out of school. We are driving down Highway Five , I look up ahead and there is some kind of accident. A gray colored mustang is on its roof. Jeff mentions to me that my sisters boyfriend has a car like that. She always rides with her boyfriend. We decided to stop and see if it was her and her boyfriend. I walk up to the car and the medics are tending to a woman. I look down and it is my sister. So shocked, I don’t even know what to say. I said to her, sis? You ok? She replies; Yes I will be ok and to meet me at the hospital down the road. Jeff and I and the girls hopped into the car and raced off to meet my sister at the hospital. The ambulance arrives and we are waiting for them to take her out on the stretcher. One attendant comes outside and walks up to me . Sir, Are you family. I replied, yes why? Your sister didn’t survive that crash. We think her Aorta was ruptured from the impact.

My heart was broken. It has been 40 years now, memories of that day are fading. I just want you to remember that in one moment in time, your loved ones can disappear. Always tell them you love them and give them a hug, it might be your last.

Time sure has changed. I guess I can be classified as an older person because the milk man would come into our house and put the milk in our refrigerator when we was sleeping in the morning. I always knew he was there because you could hear the clinking of the glass bottles.

Watching the milk trucks was like watching the ice cream trucks. I remember it was Hood Trucks around here. I loved it in the summer the neighborhood kids and I would run down the street to get a sliver off the block of ice. Cheap man’s popsicle, but we looked forward to it every summer.

I always loved the glass bottles when in primary school. I think it was around elementary school that they changed to the carton pint size milk servings. The days of the glass bottle’s disappeared forever. Some things were better left alone.

The kids and I in the neighborhood are in competition on the big sledding hill behind my house. I have never get first place and I know it was because of the sled that I was using. Christmas has brought me a new shiny red sled. It has handles on the side that I can hold onto when trying to curve the sled to keep it on the trail. I know my mom has a box of wax that she uses for making peanut butter balls. I will rub this on the bottom of the sled to make it go real fast.

I look out the window from the kitchen and can see all the kids walking up the hill. I better get a move on, where is my mittens? Ok, there they are. Right where I left them last time, next to the register. My snow suit is in the closet so I retrieve that and slither myself into it. Now off to the porch to get my boots. I go into the bread draw and get two bread bags to put over my socks so my feet don’t get wet. I’m all bundled up and now I have a cramp. Oh no! I have to go number you know what. I take my boots off, take off snow mobile suit and run to the restroom. Phew! That was a very close call.

I venture out to the big hill and all my friends are there. Big Bernie, Greg, Joel, Chirbair, and Unie. Ok we are at the top of the hill and we all get into position. Big Bernie gives the command and we are off. It is quite a battle between us kids. Whoever gets to the bottom first is the winner of bragging rights for the day. It is a viscious battle to the bottom and old red sled of mine had performed quite well. I didn’t get first but was third for this day. I get a ribbon in my mind and tomorrow I will do better because of this new red sled. I think I’m going to use furniture polish on the bottom for the next race. I can now hear my mother calling, time for supper.